Kristin Russell is leaving her post as executive director of the Governor’s Office of Information Technology next month to join Deloitte Consulting, Gov. John Hickenlooper’s office announced this week.

Hickenlooper’s office said Russell was hired in February 2011 as the state’s chief information officer “to increase the effectiveness of government through the use of shared information and technology.” During her tenure, Russell upgraded computer systems across several agencies and modernized a 23-year-old accounting system that handles more than $35 billion of annual expenditures and revenue. She also served as the state’s secretary of technology.

“It has been an honor to work for Gov. Hickenlooper,” Russell said in a prepared statement. “I have had the opportunity to work with leaders in the Cabinet and teams at OIT who are passionate about serving Coloradans. I could not have had a better team to accomplish the rigorous goals we set for improving IT across the state.”

Kevin Patterson, a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office, will oversee OIT on an interim basis after Russell leaves her job May 9. A search for a permanent replacement is underway.

Russell and her husband, CenturyLink general manager Scott Russell, will remain in Denver.

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Welcome back to The Spot, where The Denver Post's politics team captures what's happening this week -- from the Colorado legislature to Denver city hall, with a stop through the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C.

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